The Ties That Bind
by Deiru Tamashi
Summary: Sequel to "Redemption". After Ansem was defeated the worlds were restored, the final door was closed, and Dexal was finally able to rest in peace. But now that Sora and the others have reached Castle Oblivion, what will occur there? Could their long-lost ally not be so lost? Rated T just in case. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: A Strange Encounter

Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** Hello, this is Deiru Tamashi. I would like to thank all of you who voted on my poll for helping me decide the title of this fic. So now, I present to you the sequel to _Redemption_. Hope you enjoy!

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_The story so far…_

Dexal, a wielder of the Keyblade, trained alongside his three friends Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. But when the worlds are threatened by the Unversed he departs, traveling apart from the other and trying to regain his memories from before he came to the Land of Departure, along with the answers to his own mysterious powers. After traveling to several worlds Dexal learned from Master Yen Sid that Xehanort had used Terra to strike Master Eraqus down, and traveled to the Keyblade Graveyard. Once there he was reunited with Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, and fought alongside each of them in three separate battles. Using his powers of twilight, power that allowed him to wield both darkness and light, Dexal destroyed the X-Blade in the final battle and freed Ventus, later finding helping Mickey find him and Aqua in the Lanes Between.

After they were healed Aqua and Dexal resolved to find Terra and give Ven a safe place, transforming the Land of Departure into Castle Oblivion and placing him inside the Chamber of Waking. Leaving, Aqua and Dexal found Terra in Radiant Garden possessed by Xehanort, and in the subsequent battle both Xehanort and Dexal stabbed each other with their Keyblades at the same time. Aqua saved them from the Realm of Darkness by sacrificing herself, the two of them ending up on the cobblestones of Radiant Garden. Dexal and Xehanort taken in by Ansem the Wise, their memories wiped clean. Ten years later, Dexal is residing on Destiny Islands. The same event that caused Xehanort and the other students to lose their hearts also caused him to regain him memory, even at the cost of losing his heart as well.

Rather than become a Nobody Dexal became a Heartless, and he only retained human form because of the Stormfell Keyblade Aqua had handed him when she sacrificed herself. Blaming himself for the fates of his friends and his own becoming a Heartless, Dexal is overcome by guilt and secludes himself on the islands. He makes friends with only those who visit it, including Sora, Riku and Kairi. When the islands are fallen and Sora obtains the Keyblade, Dexal resolves to help Sora as a way to "redeem" himself. At the end of their journey he sees a vision of Terra, Aqua and Ventus, and through that overcomes his guilt, combining forces with Sora, Donald and Goofy to defeat Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. They manage to close the door to Kingdom Hearts and seal it away, and afterwards the exposure to the light of it caused Dexal to fade away, just as Ansem.

Kairi is returned to Destiny Islands and the worlds are restored, and Sora and the others continue their journey to find Riku and King Mickey, and to also pass on Dexal's last words to Terra, Aqua and Ventus. The three of them see Pluto holding a letter with the King's seal, and when they ask if Pluto has seen them the dog runs of. Excited, Sora, Donald and Goofy chase after Pluto, ready to keep going to find their friends.

**The Ties That Bind**

Ch.1 A Strange Encounter

After Sora, Donald and Goofy had begun chasing after Pluto, they had followed him for days, possibly even weeks. During one of those nights they were all resting in the endless fields of grass next to the road, and Sora awoke suddenly. He looked over at his side and saw that Donald and Goofy were asleep. Sora tried to go back to sleep, but the act escaped him, and eventually he stood up. He looked around and called "Hey Dexal, where-?" But then he stopped, frowning as he remembered. That's right. Dexal was gone. Now completely awake thanks to those memories, he walked out of the grass and onto the path, wandering ahead. To his surprise he eventually came upon a fork in the road. He blinked; there hadn't been any in the days prior. As Sora stared into the sky, he suddenly heard a voice behind him say "Along the road ahead lies something you need."

Sora spun around, but there was no one there. He looked around quickly, until he sensed something behind him, and turned around again. The stranger was there, dressed in sort of black hooded coat that zipped all the way down. "However, in order to claim it, you must something that is dear to you," he said, turning around. Sora chased after him, but he faded out of sight in the direction of the fork in the road. Quickly he woke up Donald and Goofy, and the three of them hurried down that path. Far ahead, in a pure white room, a young girl wearing a white dress was drawing in a sketch book. She colored in and brushed the marks off, admiring her work. It was a crayon drawing of a castle, and at the same moment she was looking at, Sora and his friends were approaching the end of the road.

Before them stood a massive castle that looked eerily similar to the girl's drawing, and they all looked at it. As they stared Sora became transfixed. There was something about this castle... He gasped quietly, and began walking forward. "Huh?" Donald said, seeing him. He followed and Goofy did the same. Once they reached the front doors Sora pushed one open, stepping inside. As he did he could feel a strange pull and a lightness in his head, but it faded just as quickly as it arrived. The inside was composed of a single stark white hallway, with stone pillars and vases on the sides. At the end of the hall was a set of steps, and at the top was a small raised area with a door, leading on. "Hey, you think it's okay to just barge in?" Goofy asked. "But we've got to do it if we're gonna find the King!" Donald pointed out.

Goofy jumped, looking around. "The King?! King Mickey's here?!" he asked. Donald crossed his arms, saying "Something just told me he'd be here, okay?" "Really? Cause now that you mention it, I was kind of thinking the same thing," Goofy said, scratching his head. "Seriously? Me too!" Sora added, smiling. He looked up at the ceiling. "One look at this castle, and I just knew- Our very best friends, they're here," he said. "A-hyuck. Guess great minds think alike," Goofy replied. From the hood of Sora's jacket Jiminy Cricket emerged, saying "Now, wait. Hold on! It can't be just a coincidence!" "Oh no, Jiminy. You don't mean that...?" Donald began. Jiminy nodded. "Yep, I had it too. I had the exact same feeling!" he finished. "Gawrsh, maybe it's contagious," Goofy said. "No, no, something's screwy. We'd better go take a look," Donald announced.

"Okay," Sora said, turning around. "Wha-? Where are you going?" Donald asked. Sora pointed. "That way. To the door," he replied, before smiling. "Are you scared?" he asked. As proud as ever, Donald barged right past him, saying "Aw, don't be ridiculous. Come on, let's go, Goofy." "Hey, fellas, shouldn't we shut the door behind us before we go?" Goofy asked, turning to do just that. But then he froze, calling out "Sora!" He and Donald stopped and looked back, seeing the same hooded stranger from before standing there, the door closing behind him. Sora glared at him. "That's it. Who are you?" he demanded, summoning his Keyblade. To his surprise the blade that came forth was the Kingdom Key, rather than the Oblivion. Before he could question it the stranger began walking forward, and Donald called "Heartless! Oh yeah? I'll try some magic! THUNDER!"

He pointed his staff at the ceiling, and waited for a bolt of lightning to drop down, blasting the stranger. But nothing happened. He looked at his staff. "Come on. THUNDER! THUNDER!" he called. The stranger stopped, and Sora and Goofy looked at Donald. He frowned. "Come on... Blizzard? FIRE!" he called. But those spells failed as well. "Why isn't it working?" he asked. The stranger chose that moment to speak, saying "I should think it's obvious. The moment you set foot in this castle, you forgot every spell and every ability you ever knew." Sora gasped. That would explain the lightness he had felt in his head when he walked in, and why he was holding the Kingdom Key. The stranger held up a gloved hand. "In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. That is the way, in Castle Oblivion," he said.

"Castle Oblivion...?" Sora repeated. But then the stranger was suddenly enveloped in darkness, which faded to show that he was gone. He reappeared behind them. "Here, you will meet people that you have known in the past. And you will meet people you miss," he told them. "I miss...?" Sora asked, before it clicked. "Riku! You mean Riku's here?!" he called. "If you want is to find him..." the stranger began, holding out a hand. From his palm a gale of wind and flower petals flew forth, and Sora tried to hold his ground. When he did the stranger turned transparent passing right through Sora. When that happened he could feel the same light-headedness as before. He turned and struck at the stranger, who vanished in a burst of petals. The same shadows he had vanished in before showed up in front of the door at the end of the hall.

"What did you do?" Sora asked. "I merely sampled your memories. And from them, I made this," the stranger said, holding up what looked like a card. "To reunite with those you hold dear…" the stranger began, before throwing the card. Sora caught it and looked, seeing a picture of Traverse Town on it. "What's this? A card?" he asked. "It is a promise for the reunion you seek. Hold the card to open the door, and beyond it a new world," the stranger said, gesturing to the door behind him. "Proceed, Sora. To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose…" he said, before vanishing into the shadows once more. Sora looked between the card and the door, and eventually said "All right. Let's go." He began walking forward and Donald and Goofy hesitantly followed. They walked up the steps to the door and Sora stopped in front of it.

Also experimentally he held up the card, and it vanished in burst of light. Not a second later the doors swung wide open, untold amounts of light shining out. Sora winced at the sudden brightness and walked through, closing his eyes as he was surrounded by the light. Sora kept walking even as his eyes were closed, and when the light faded he opened his eyes. When he did the area before him was one he recognized, but it shouldn't have been there. Not in this castle. "What the-? We're in Traverse Town!" he called.

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And so ends the first chapter of The Ties that Bind. Hope you all enjoyed it, and know that there will be more to come!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)


	2. Chapter 2: The Mercy of the Cards

Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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Ch.2 The Mercy of the Cards

Sora turned in a circle, trying to figure out what was going on. He had used the card to open that door, gone through it... and ended up in Traverse Town? "This can't be right..." he said. But then a voice behind him said "What you see isn't what is real." He spun around but the figure was gone, reappearing behind him. He turned again, and looked at the stranger. This one was wearing the same coat as the first stranger, but this one was the slightest bit shorted, and with a different build. The voice was different as well, and even vaguely familiar... "What you see before you is an illusion, created from the memories making up that card you used," the figure explained. Sora frowned. "My memories?" he repeated. But then Jiminy jumped off of his shoulder, landing on the ground. "Forget about that, Sora! We lost Donald and Goofy!" he called.

Sora looked around, and saw that he was right. "Donald? Goofy? Guys, where are you?" he asked. But when he received no reply, he looked at the figure. "What did you do with them?!" he demanded. The figure chuckled, saying "They are at the mercy of the cards now. If you can manage to control the cards, their power will be yours once more." The figure held up his fingers and snapped them, and an explosion of light surrounded Sora. When it faded he and the figure were standing in the middle of an open area. Before he could say anything another card like the one before materialized, only this one was green and had a picture of Donald. "The laws of Castle Oblivion mandate that your friends be changed into cards. If you value your friends, you'll pick them up," the figure said.

Sora ran and picked up the card of Donald, and the figure said "Cards you pick up are added to your inventory. Use the cards of your friends, and they will reappear." Sora nodded held up the card, calling "Donald!" The card vanished and Donald appeared before him. He called "Yeah!" and cast Fire and Blizzard, before disappearing again. "The cards you use vanish, but they will appear time and again to help you. The hearts of your friends and your memories of them are within those cards. The cards rule over everything within this castle. Whether it's an enemy or a door in front of you, both require the use of cards. However, you shouldn't forget your own strength. First think for yourself, then use the cards," the figure explained, making that last part sound like a challenge.

His eyes narrowed and Sora decided to take that challenge, rushing forward and swinging. The figure easily dodged him, and said "Well done. Every action you make costs a card, and that cards disappears. If you use up all of your cards, you will be unable even defend yourself. But there is a solution. Keep attacking me until you no long can, and I'll show you." Sora nodded and swung again and again, attacking. As he did he could feel his exhaustion growing, ever action he made increasing it. Eventually he couldn't make another swing, and stopped. Never mind make another swing- he could even _think_ of another move. "The sensation your feeling is that which you have without any cards. Without cards, you have no power. If you want that power back, you have to focus. Concentrate and regaining your strength, and the it will," the stranger said.

Placing his hand over his hearts, Sora closed his eyes and imagined his strength coming back to him. To his surprise it did, and he suddenly felt refreshed, now able to think and act. "The power of your heart brought your cards and strength. You can recall the cards and power you have lost at any time. Be warned though. Each time you do, the cards will take longer to return, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attack. The cards are not infinite. Anticipate, plan, and ct accordingly. Having an able mind is have the battle," the stranger said. Sora nodded and the area around them vanished, causing them to reappear in the opening area of Traverse Town. Sora heard running feet behind him, and looked to see that it was Donald and Goofy. "Are you two alright? Where have you been?" he asked.

"You tell us! When you opened the door, we saw a strange light. And the rest is just... blank," Donald said, confused. "Gee, that doesn't help. Try and remember what happened. I have to keep my journal up to date," Jiminy said, frowning. Just than Goofy jumped, looking at himself. "hey Donald, where'd I get the new clothes?" he asked Donald's eyes widened and he looked at Goofy, then at himself. "Waak! Me too, Goofy! Somebody's been messing with our clothes!" he yelled. They were both no longer wearing the outfits they had entered the castle with, but rather they wore the outfits they had worn during their first journey across the worlds. Sora turned to the figure, asking "Could it be the cards again?" The figure chuckled. "That's for you to think about. Master the cards and make your way through Castle Oblivion. But from here on out, that is a path you walk... alone," he said.

"Alone? We can't let Sora go by himself!" Goofy protested. "Yeah! Sora can't do anything without us!" Donald added. "Gee, thanks a lot, Donald," Sora deadpanned. Goofy looked at him. "You sure you'll be okay?" he asked worriedly. "Of course!" Sora assure them, before turning back to the figure. "You want me to go it alone? Fine. I can take care of myself," he declared. The figure chuckled. "You speak rather confidently for someone... who just lost a friend," he said. At that Sora gasped, freezing. How did this guy... Donald said what he was about to, yelling "How do you know about Dexal?!" The figure laughed out loud, saying "How indeed? Walk the avenues of latent memories, and you'll meet someone dear to you. You might just also find that answer along the way." It was then that the figure became enveloped in Shadows gain, and vanished.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Jiminy stated. "Relax. Jiminy. I'm ready for any tricks these guys have got up their sleeves. And how hard can it be to figure out these cards?" Sora asked, pointing at a door ahead. "All I have to do is hold one in front of that door over there," he said. "Well, good luck," Goofy said, before he vanished in a burst of light. Donald nodded in agreement, before the same happened to him. In their places were two cards, which Sora picked up and placed in his pockets. Jiminy jumped back onto his shoulder and hit in the hood of Sora's jacket, and he started forward for the door.

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While Sora was doing that, the same figure that had spoken to him reappeared in the Seeing Room. It was names as such for the crystal orb in the center of the room, which could be used to look into any of the card worlds being made in the castle. Currently it was showing Sora as he held up a card to first door in Traverse Town, going through it. The figure grinned, taking off his hood. "And so the pawn takes his first step," he said, before looking behind him. "Very good with erasing Sora's abilities, by the way. I applaud you for it," he said. Behind sat a girl in a chair, who sadly nodded. Just then the door to the room opened, and two more cloaked people walked in. One was Axel, a man with a tall and slender build and bright emerald eyes. Under each eyes was a reversed teardrop shape, but his most distinguishing trait was the thick shoulder-length bright red hair that he had in slicked-back spikes.

"Well, well, that went rather well, don't you think?" he asked. The figure shrugged. "Sora knows how to use the cards now. The question of is if he'll be able to make good use of them," he said. "That is true. We need him to go further into the caste if he is to find his true 'memories'," the one behind Axel said. He was the same stranger that had led Sora to the castle. The figure shrugged. "I don't see any reason for him to leave. We told him he would find Riku here," he said. "Yeah. And who knows, he might even find you, Dexal," Axel said, looking at the figure. Dexal sighed, gazing at his reflection in the crystal. He looked at same as he always had- short and spiky hair that was the color of silver, and eyes that are blue around the edge but reddened as it came closer, until around his pupils they were a ruby-red.

"To be honest, I'd rather I not be found. What memory he has of me is a good one, and there's no reason to mess with a good thing," he said. "Oh? Then you probably won't like what I have to hear," the hooded one said. Dexal rolled his eyes. He never liked what Marluxia had to say. "What?" he asked. "Once Sora has made it through that imaginary Traverse Town, _you_ will be the one to test him," Marluxia ordered. Dexal stared at him, before groaning. This was the price of being a double-agent: Doing as you were told by someone you disliked. "I've got no say in this, do I?" he asked. Marluxia shook his head, and he replied "Fine." "Good. Now, let's observe and see how he progress, hm?" Marluxia suggested. The three of them gathered around the crystal in the center of room, watching.

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After making his way through several doors in Traverse Town, Sora opened one that took his to replica of Traverse Town's Third District. He crossed his arms, frowning. "Hmm... Fighting alone isn't going to be as easy as I thought," he said. Behind him two cards lowered down to the ground, before turning into Donald and Goofy with a flash. "Aah!" he yelled, turning around. He saw the two of them, and called "Don't pop out of nowhere like that!" "Hey, it's not our fault! We don't know what's going on!" Donald replied. "A-hyuck!" Goofy said, jumping at something head. They all looked in the same direction as him, and saw that sitting there was... "Pluto?!" Sora said. "This just keeps getting weirder. What's Pluto doing here?" Donald asked. "There's nothing weird about that. We came to Traverse Town with Pluto, didn't we?" Goofy said.

Donald frowned. "Did we?" he asked. "No, wait! According to my journal, it was _before_ you met Sora and Dexal that you came to town with Pluto!" Jiminy said. "He's right. We were chasing after Pluto, and that's how ended up in Castle Oblivion!" Donald said. "But aren't we in Traverse Town?" Goofy asked. "Well, it's not really Traverse Town. I think that card created this Traverse Town inside Castle Oblivion!" Jiminy tried to explain. Sora groaned. "Aaagh! Who cares about all that? It's too confusing! I don't know where we are, but let's just keep moving forward, defeating Heartless! We'll get somewhere!" he said. Then they heard someone say "You better be careful, or it's the Heartless that are going to defeat you."

They turned as saw a very familiar person walk towards them. Sora gasped. "Leon, it's you! What are you doing in Castle Oblivion?" he asked. Leon frowned. "Castle Oblivion? What are you talking about? This is Traverse Town," he said, Sora blinked, but then the next thing that came out of his mouth shock them all. "And how do you know my name? Who are you?" he asked.

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Dexal has appeared, but what does this mean? And why is Leon acting strangely? These questions will be answered... next chapter!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	3. Chapter 3: Resonating Memories

Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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Ch.3 Resonating Memories

"_And how do you know my name? Who are you?" Leon asked._

The moment Leon said that Sora's jaw dropped, along with that of Donald and Goofy's. They weren't quite touching the floor, but then they did when Leon added "I've never met the likes of you before." Sora managed to pick his jaw back up, saying "Quit playing, Leon! We all fought the Heartless together! You know that!" Leon frowned. "Look, I don't what you're talking about. I don't even know your names," he said. "You don't?" Goofy asked. Leon crossed his arms and turned around, thinking about it. "...Sorry," he said. "I can't believe it. How can you have forgotten about us?" Sora said sadly, hanging his head. Leon looked back. "I feel for you, but you've got the wrong guy. It happens all the time. Don't take it so personally, Sora," he said. At that Donald gasped and looked at Goofy, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"You DO know his name!" Donald called. Leon stiffened, surprised, and spun around. "Now, hold on! Why do I know your name?" he asked, just as shocked as them. Goofy looked at Donald. "You think Leon's just kidding around?" he asked. "If he is, it's not funny. Sora's really upset," Donald replied. Leon looked past Sora at the town of them. "Who's kidding around, Goofy. You and Donald are the ones who-" he began, before stopping "Hey!" Donald called. Leon placed the tips of his fingers against his forehead, eyes closed. "I don't get it... Something's wrong with my memory. What's going on?" he thought aloud. Just then a young female voice behind him spoke, saying "I don't know, Leon. Maybe Aerith was onto something after all." All of them looked to see another person from their past standing their. "Yuffie!" Sora called.

Said ninja smiled and walked over to Leon. "She said she sensed some uncanny kind of powers, and asked us to look into it. Well, this is about as uncanny as it gets. Maybe you should take Sora to see Aerith," she said. Sora gasped. "Yuffie, you know my name!" he exclaimed. "Yup! Looks like you know mine too! Not that I'm surprised that you know about the single white rose of Wutai!" she said proudly, striking a pose. Leon stared. "You know him?" he asked. Not moving from her pose, she said "Nope! Total stranger! But I definitely know his names. Strange, yes, but convenient! We can skip the introductions." Leon held his head. "How s it that you can accept this situation so easily? I don't get you..." he announced. "Well, I'm gonna run ahead and fill Aerith in. Leon, you give them the grand tour. See ya later!" Yuffie said, turning and walking off with Pluto.

Everyone watched them go, and once they were gone Leon shrugged. "...I guess it's no use pondering over it. Come on, follow me. But there are Heartless wandering around town. Be careful," he said. Sora, Donald and Goofy nodded, and they went through the same door as Yuffie. On the other side Donald and Goofy vanished, as did Leon, and in his hand was a golden card with a picture of a heart. Sora jumped. "What the-?" he began, before remembering. From here on out, Sora walked alone. He sighed and started forward, when suddenly a Shadow rose from the ground and swung at him. Sora dodged and stabbed the Heartless with his Keyblade, and they were both enveloped int light before Sora found himself on the usual battlefield. In front of him stood three Shadows and two Soldiers, all of them dazed from Sora hitting the Shadow.

Without waiting for them to recover he ran forward, swinging. Sora cut one Shadow in half before stabbing at another, not killing it but damaging it. The other Heartless woke up and the Soldiers ran at Sora, while the Shadows laid against the ground and moved in every direction. One of the soldiers attempted to use a spinning kick but Sora actually caught that foot, throwing it into the other Soldier. With that done he turned to the Shadow he had stabbed and held his Keyblade with both hands. He swung downwards and cleaved the being completely in two vertically. The two halves dissolved into Shadows, but then Sora felt himself be slashed across the back by a set of claws. He clenched his teeth and grunted in pain, turning to see that it was one of the Soldiers. He frowned and blocked the Heartless to do so again, countering with a trio of slashes that all landed on its chest.

Sadly the Soldier was made of tougher stuff that the Shadows, and so the combo didn't kill it. Instead it went for a jump kick and missed, going past Sora and hitting the barrier around the edge of the battlefield. Sora was about to pursue it when the other Solider did the same thing, this hit connecting. Sora fell backwards from the kick to the chest, falling on his back. The last Shadow appeared and grabbed his hand, trying to hold him down. But instead Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a card of Goofy, holding it up. "Goofy!" he called, and the card vanished. Goofy appeared next to him and smiled, spinning on one foot and using his shield as a weapon. He hit the Shadow and he second Soldier, knocking them both away while killing the Shadow. The Soldier was injured, and Sora stood and deliver a punishing blow across the chest.

Now all that was left was the first Soldier, which was recovering from its crash into the barricade. Sora ran up to it and cut it across the back like it had done to him, before giving it another cut to make an X. The Solider whipped around but Sora stopped it, stabbing his Kingdom Key into its face within its helmet. The Soldier flailed around for a second before going limp, fading away into darkness. The battlefield itself also went dark, before revealing Sora to be in the same place as before the Heartless appeared. He sighed and started forward. There would only be a matter of time before the next batch of Heartless appeared- he wanted this done as soon as possible. Soon enough he found a door that required the use of that golden card, and Sora used it. The light coming from the door was even brighter than usual, and once he stepped through Sora found himself in Leon, Aerith and Yuffie's hideout.

Donald and Goofy were back at his side, and Leon and Yuffie were in front of him with the addition of Aerith. "Aerith, have you forgotten me too?" Sora asked. The brown-haired girl blinked, unsure. " I don't know whether to say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again'. I don't feel like I know you, but I still feel like you belong here," she said. "Yeah, exactly! Like we've never met before, but it still doesn't feel weird knowing your names," Yuffie added. Sora shook his head, saying "But I'm telling you, we _have_ met before. We took on the Heartless together! We were a team!" "It feels like you're right... but I don't remember," Leon told him. Sora crossed his arms. "Then I guess you won't remember what you told me. In hollow Bastion, when I sealed the Keyhole: 'We may never meet again...'," he said.

"...But we'll never forget each other," Leon finished, blinking when he did. "See, you do remember!" Sora called. "He's right, Leon! I remember you saying that too!" Yuffie said. Leon crossed his arms. "I guess I can't write off as a coincidence then," he said. Aerith looked at Sora. "I don't have any memories, but I still remember. I think your heart is doing the remembering for us," she theorized. Sora blinked. "My heart?" he repeated. "We don't know you, Sora, but your heart is full of memories of us together. Those memories must resonate in our hearts, too. Maybe they tell us things we couldn't otherwise know," Aerith told him. Leon frowned, asking "So you think Sora's memories are affecting ours?" "His memories do seem to have a certain power," she replied.

"Maybe it's just like that guy said. This town is an illusion. Something my memories created," Sora pointed out. Aerith looked back at him. "And... there's someone important to you in this town?" she asked. Sora looked at her, surprised. "How did you...?" he asked, before catching on. "Ah, I get it. My memories are resonating with yours, telling you what happened. Yeah, there supposed to be a friend of mine in this time- I mean, Castle Oblivion," Sora said. "Castle Oblivion? What's that? There aren't any castles here," Yuffie said. "That's not quite what I meant," Sora told her. Aerith smiled gently. "You're still not sure what's going on yourself, right?" she asked. He nodded. "Yeah. We just got here, after all. I want to take a better look around," he said. "Then go have a walk around town. There are heartless, but that should be no problem for you," Leon said.

Sora smirked, putting his hands behind his head. "So you know I can fight?" he asked. Leon cracked a small smile. "I can't say I know, but I feel like believing you. Let's leave it at that, alright?" he asked. Sora nodded, and the three of them left the room. They kept searching and searching, but no matter what area of town they looked they didn't find a single trace of Riku, the King, or Dexal. Eventually they made their way to the Second District, and found Cid standing in the plaza in front of the Gizmo Shop. He turned around, saying "Well, what do you know? It's Sora!" But the Cid frowned and scratched his head. "Wait, what am I saying? I don't know you. But you _look_ like a Sora, what with the spiky hair and baggy pants..." he said. Sora shook his head. "it's okay, Cid. That's my name," he said.

Cid smiled. "So, you've heard of me? Heh, can't say I'm surprised," he said proudly. Sora decided to ignore that, saying "Well, maybe you can help me out. I'm looking for a friend of mine who's supposed in this castle- er, town. Got any ideas?" Cid scratched the back of his head. "You're friend, huh? Lately, all this town sees is Heartless. Can't even take two steps without getting attacked. I fact, this plaza's the worst," he said, turning around. He pointed at the top of the gizmo shop, where there was a bell. "Se that bell up there? Word is, a jumbo-sized Heartless show's up here whenever that bell rings. If you value your hide, you'll get out of here while the getting's good," he said, before doing just that. "Gawrsh, maybe we should get out of here," Goofy said. Sora turned to them. "Don't you want to see the Heartless?" he asked.

Donald frowned. "NO, we DON'T!" he said. Just then they heard the very sound they were fearing- that of a ringing bell. "The bell!" Donald called. "Be careful!" Goofy said. The three of them gathered close and summoned their weapons, when in front of the shop five pieces of a Heartless fell to the ground. They assembled together to form a Guard Armor. With a flash of light Donald and Goofy vanished, and it was just Sora and the massive Heartless on the field.

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Sora has met with his gang on the others, but now he's alone against the Guard Armor. How will the battle fair? What will occur afterwards?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	4. Chapter 4: Figments of the Mind

Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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Ch.4 Figments of the Mind

The Guard Armor looked down at Sora and they were surrounded by a bright light. When it faded Donald and Goofy were gone, changed into card form again. Both of them were lying on the ground, and Sora quickly picked them up and put them in his pocket. The Guard Armor swung at him with its fists and Sora moved back, avoiding the hits. Once the onslaught was over he charged and swung, slashing at the Heartless. His Keyblade created a small cut on the Armor's chest plate, but nothing serious. In return the Armor's right foot swung up of its own will, kicking Sora in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. Sora staggered away by was punched the chest twice, knocking him to the ground. Before the guard Armor could pummel him he pulled out the Goofy card, holding it up and calling "Goofy!"

The card vanished with a burst of light and Goofy appeared, grasping his shield and spinning on one foot. The pseudo-tornado attack knocked the Heartless back and caused it to falter, also giving Sora the time to stand. Once Goofy was done he vanished, and Sora charged again. The Guard Armor held up its left arm over its chest to block the hit, so Sora simply attacked that arm and swung down with both hands. This attack was more powerful than the last, and tore through the metal to leave a large, gaping cut. The Armor quickly stepped back and looked at Sora, swinging its other fist. But Sora rolled out of the way and countered, actually cutting off one of its fingers. The Heartless seemed like it glared at Sora, before suddenly all pieces of it rose into the air, raining back down around Sora.

He dodged both legs and the arm he had torn before, but the other arm gave him a nasty punch to the ribs while the torso slammed into his back. Sora fell over onto his front, and the pieces reassembled. Quickly they grabbed Sora and literally threw him, sending him through the air until he hit the wall and lid down. The Heartless lumbered forward and Sora pulled out the Donald called, activating it. Donald appeared and called "Yeah!" before casting Blizzard and Thunder. The two spells did minimal damage, but they did distract the Guard Armor long enough for Sora to stand and attack. He swung at the same arm he cut before and gave it another one, further damaging the limb. The Guard Armor retaliated with a double kick that Sora leaped back to avoid.

It was then that he noticed that behind the Guard Armor was another card like Donald's or Goofy's, but this one had a silhouette of King Mickey. Quickly Sora turned to Guard Armor and actually threw his Keyblade, running past it at the same time. The Guard Armor batted the weapons aside, but by then Sora had already grabbed the card and held it up. The card burst apart into four motes of light, and suddenly the Guard Armor froze before literally falling apart, landing in a heap of metal limbs. Sora called his Kingdom Key back to him and charged, bringing it down once more on the rm of the Guard Armor. This time the blow was strong enough to sever the limb into two, which caused it to dissolve in a burst of shadows. After that Sora turned to rest of the Heartless attacked, dealing three hits to the torso and one to each foot.

Then he took the blade and stabbed it through the Armor's head, which caused it to awaken and hurriedly stand. The Armor grabbed his Keyblade and pulled it out, throwing it back at Sora. He caught it deftly and the Armor charged, using all three of its remaining limbs to deal damage. Sora saw another Donald card to the side and leaped to grab it, swinging diagonally as he dived. By sheer luck he dealt a blow across the Guard Armor's chest, forcing it to move away. Then Sora pulled out a Simba card he had gotten from Leon, and held it up. Simba appeared in between the two adversaries and roared, the pure sound blasting the Heartless which enough force to dent its armor. While it trying to recover Sora charged straight forward and gave a trio of cuts on the Armor's right foot, destroying it.

Now all the Armor had left was one arm and one foot, and that was before Sora pulled out his trump card. Along with the first Goofy card he had another with him, and so held up the cards of both his friends and an Attack card. Both Donald and Goofy appeared, Donald saying "Okay!" "Come on!" Goofy said, falling forward and holding his shield over his head. Sora and Donald caught him, holding Goofy like an impromptu battering ram. "Let's go!" Sora called, and they charged. Goofy slammed into the Guard Armor's front and sent it staggering back, and the two of them barreled past the Heartless before turning and charging again. The Heartless tried to kick out its remaining foot and stop them, but then Goofy hit that foot and the trio took it with them, crushing the foot between them and a wall and flattening it.

Now all the Guard Armor had left was a single arm, which Sora, Donald and Goofy also destroyed with one more charge. Then all of them save for Sora vanished, and he recalled his Keyblade. With no more limbs other than its torso, the Guard Armor simply spun in place fast enough to make a whirlwind around itself, hoping to keep Sora away. But Sora simply waited until it was done before running and jumping up high, looking down. "It's over!" Sora called, and he dealt a single massive vertical slash that cut the Guard Armor from stem to sternum. Sora landed on the ground and watched as, for a few moments, the Guard Armor was completely still. Then it began shaking violently, and the head remained in the air before crashing to the ground. From the top of the torso a large heart appeared, rising into the air and fading.

Once the heart was gone the body of the Guard Armor fade away, defeated. Sora sighed in exhaustion and dismissed his Keyblade. Behind him Donald and Goofy fully reappeared, and they looked around. "Well I'll be! You beat the thing, Sora!" Goofy cheered. Donald crossed his arms. "I guess you can fight alone after all," he said, admitting his earlier statement was wrong. Sora smiled and laughed, but then they heard a voice behind them say "Good job, Sora." They looked and saw that the speaker was Leon, and Yuffie, Aerith and Cid were there with him. "So, did you find your friend?" Yuffie asked. Sora shook his head. "No, I don't think I'll find him in this town. But he's somewhere in this castle. I just know it," he said. "Castle? Like this whole town's inside some humongous castle. Hoo, that's rich!" Cid said, not convinced one bit.

"He's probably right, Cid," Leon told him. "We may not understand what's going on, but Sora does. He can see that reality is bigger than just this world," he said. Sora frowned and hung his head. "I wish I was that sure," he said. The side of Leon's mouth turned upwards in small smile. "You'll be okay, Sora. No matter what shape reality takes, I'm sure you can handle it. I may not remember you, but I know you in my heart," Leon sad. Sora looked back up, surprised. "Leon..." he said. Yuffie smiled. "Take care, Sora!" she said. Cid scratched his head. "I'm little lost... but best of luck anyway," he stated. Sora nodded and both sides turned to leave. Just as Sora was catching up to Donald and Goofy though, he felt that someone was behind him. He turned round seeing that it was Aerith.

"What's up?" he asked. Unlike before, Aerith's voice was low and serious as she said "I don't have all the answers, but I had to tell you something. Your memories created this town, right?" Sora nodded. "That's what the guy in the black coat told me," he said. "Then in that case, this town is just a figment of your mind. And so are we," Aerith revealed. Sora gasped, staring at her for a second. When her expression didn't change, he said "But... you can't be a figment! We're standing right here! The town is here too!" Aerith slowly shook her head. "But I'm not really me. I don't remember the things I should. And I sense things I shouldn't. Sora, beware your memories," she warned. Now Sora looked at her confusedly, and she explained. "In the journey to come, you'll be faced with more illusions. Sometimes the shadows of your memories will deceive you, try to lead you astray," she said.

"So, uh... what exactly does that mean?" Sora asked. "I'm sorry. I'm just another illusion. The truth is out of my reach," Aerith replied. "Don't say stuff that like. It's depressing..." Sora told her sadly. "Stay strong, Sora. Don't let the illusions distract from what's truly important," Aerith said. After a moment of silence, Sora nodded. "...Okay," he said. Behind him he heard Donald yell "Sora!" He turned, seeing him and Goofy standing ahead. "Are you ready to go?" Goofy asked. "Yeah, be right there!" he called. Then Sora looked back, saying "Well, I'd better go." But when he looked back, he saw that standing there was... nobody. "Huh? Aerith?" Sora asked, looking around. "Aerith!" he called. "What about Aerith?" Donald asked. "Where did she go? I was just talking to her!" Sora told them. There was no way someone could run off that fast.

But then Goofy said "Aerith left with Leon and the others, remember?" Sora's eyes widened. "Huh?" he said. "You worried us, just standing there by yourself," Donald added. Sora looked back one more time. "Is this what she meant...?" he thought aloud. But there was no one there to reply, and she he turned and left with Donald and Goofy.

* * *

After they left the Second District, Sora found a door that could they hadn't seen before, and opened it. A brilliant light shined forth, and as Sora walked through he could _feel_ the world behind him fade away. On the other side the light faded, revealing the white stone halls of Castle Oblivion. Standing there was the same hooded figure who had explained the use of cards to him, and the three of them instantly drew their weapons. The figure chuckled. "Well, Sora? Was it nice seeing the ones you cherish?" he asked. "Yeah, it was nice to see everyone... But, what do you really want from me?" Sora asked. "What do you have to give?" the stranger countered. He began walking towards the, raising his right hand to summon his Keyblade when suddenly there was the tell-tale sound of dark corridor behind them.

From the corridor Axel appeared, hood off and issuing a "Hello!" Sora stiffened but was nonetheless ready to take on this newcomer. The hooded figure rolled his eyes and said "I thought I was given the order to take care of the, not you." "Aw, come on! No hogging the hero!" Axel complained. The figure grunted before suddenly spinning and throwing a card at Axel. He caught it and grinned. "Then perhaps _you'd_ like to test him," the figure said, before vanishing via corridor. "Perhaps I would," Axel replied, before turning to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "My show now, Keyblade master! Who am I? Oh, my name's Axel! Got it memorized?" Axel said. A little unsure, Sora said "Uh... sure!" "Good, you're a quick learner! So Sora, now that we're getting to know each other better..." Axel began.

He abruptly held his arms out to his sides and flames curled along the length of them before reaching his hands, where they formed a set of chakrams. Axel looked back up at Sora, still sporting that same grin. "Don't you go off and die on me now!" he warned.

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Traverse Town is finished, but now our heroes have to face the Flurry of Dancing Flames! Can they beat him, will all their hopes go up in smoke?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


	5. Chapter 5: The Test

Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

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**Notice:** HEY! I'm not dead, nor is this fic! I know it seemed that way for a while, and I'm really sorry about that. My computer literally fried on me, and while I waited for Ribbit to tell me if it could be fixed, they eventually told me it would cost less to just get a new computer. And it's only a few days ago that I amassed enough money to do that. And so now, I have brought out the latest chapter to you all! Please enjoy!

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Ch.5 The Test

When Axel grinned at them everything was surrounded by light, Donald and Goofy vanishing once again. When the light faded Sora and Axel were standing on a stone platform with several pillars hovering around it, the Organization crest on the top of the pillars and on the floor. Despite the interesting setting, Sora had no time to enjoy it, as Axel smirked and threw one of his chakrams. Sora rolled to the side and dodged it, standing and running up to Axel to deal a side blow. But he turned and blocked it with his other chakrams. He flicked his fingers and the first one flew behind and at Sora, causing him to duck. But when he did that Axel kicked him in the stomach and leaped back, his weapons bursting into flames before he threw both of them. Sora jumped from side to side, avoiding the flaming weapon before using Sliding Dash and shooting forward at Axel.

Sora shouted and slammed his Keyblade against Axel's chest, causing him to falter before he warped away, reappearing in the center of the area. "Get a load of this!" he called. His chakrams hovered on either side of him and spun rapidly, before Axel yelled "Fire Wall!" and they both exploded in twin waves of flame. With no way to dodge Sora stood there and took the hit, shouting in pain at the minor burns the fires inflicted. Once the fire was behind him and charged again, using Strike Raid and throwing his Kingdom Key. It hit Axel in the back and he fell forward, and Sora caught his weapon before going on the Assault. Axel turned and was able to block a good portion of Sora's hits, but not all. He received a cut on the right arm, two on the left leg, and one more right over the same spot on his chest that Sora had hit earlier.

Axel grimaced and warped away again, pulling out a Red Nocturne card. "Alright, not bad. Now, let's heat things up!" he said, before tossing the card in the air. It burst into motes of light and Axel's body glowed orange, the flames on his chakrams burning brighter then before. He warped again before reappearing right in front of Sora, delivering a harsh kick to the side of the head. The blow left Sora stunned and Axel cast Fire, shooting a ball of flame that Sora barely avoided. He tried to attack Axel but he moved back before coming forward again, swinging his chakrams in an X. Sparks flew when they clashed from the heat of Axel's weapons, and both of them tried to overpower the other. Axel smirked. "You're better than I imagined," he admitted. Sora grinned. "Thanks. I aim to please," he said.

Then Sora did the unexpected and slammed his forehead against Axel's, causing the redhead to blink and take a step back. "What the-?" he began, before quickly blocking an upwards swing from Sora. But Sora moved again and swung at the side, causing Axel to block again. But that left his front open, and Sora used his free hand to delivering a straight punch to ribs. The air was knocked out of him and Sora struck once more, delivering a horizontal slash across Axel's abdomen. Axel grimaced and warped away, reappearing in the center again. He began to move for another Fire Wall but Sora stopped him, hitting his chakrams away before swinging again and dealing both a slash and punch to Axel's back. He fell forward but twisted around, kicking out and catching Sora on the chin.

His head snapped back and Axel landed on his hands, springing upwards before righting himself and delivering a punch of his own of Sora's jaw. Axel followed it up with a front dropkick, planting both feet against Sora's stomach. Sora fell back, but before Axel could hit the ground he warped once more, reappearing on the other end of the platform on his feet. With a flick of the wrist he summoned his chakrams again, and ran forward. Sora quickly pulled out a Potion and chugged it down, letting the bruise on his chest heal. Axel swung with one chakrams and threw the other, and Sora rolled out of the way of both. The he turned and slashed at Axel's left side, scoring a hit. Axel grimaced and turned, casting a double-shot of Fire. Two fireballs flew forward and Sora swung his Keyblade like a baseball bat, hitting both and knocking hem back at Axel.

They hit but were only half as effective, and Axel warped behind Sora before kicking him in the back and propelling him forward. Sora managed to turn his fall into a roll and a chakram just barely flew over his head, before stopping and coming right back. Sora caught it and turned to throw it back at Axel, but he smirked and snapped his fingers. The chakram in Sora's hand exploded in a burst of flames. "AAH!" he yelled, moving back as he beat at the flames on his clothes. His entire left side was burnt, and Axel moved to the center and began casting Fire Wall again. He succeeded, and twin waves of flame shot at Sora. But just before they hit him Sora used a trio of Blizzard cards, calling "Blizzaga!" An equally large wave of ice shot at Axel, dousing the flames at hitting him straight on.

He cried out in pain, letting Sora know he was weak to ice, and Sora grinned before using two pairs of Blizzard casts and casting two Blizzara spells in succession. One completely froze one of Axel's chakrams in ice, and the other suffered the same fate- while still in his hand. With the weight in his hands suddenly increased Axel was off-balance, and Sora took that chance to charge forward. With a shout he stabbed his Keyblade straight into Axel's chest, right where his heart would have been. Axel's eyes widened, and he looked down at the blade in surprise. Sora smirked, but just then everything was suddenly enveloped in light... and when it faded Axel was gone. In his place was a card for the spell Fire, which Sora took on pocketed. When he id everything became white again, transporting Sora away from the fighting area.

The light resolved into the hall of Castle Oblivion. Donald, Goofy and Jiminy were there as well, and another set of cards were floating in the air. Sora reached for them, and looked. Unlike the others, these cards had images of Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah, Halloween Town and Monstro the Whale. "What are these?" Sora asked. Jiminy looked at them with a critical eye. "Kind of look like the card you used when you made Traverse Town," he noted. "That's right," a voice said. All of their heads shot up, seeing a very familiar person leaning against the wall. "Axel!" Donald called. Axel smirked and stood straight, walking forward. "Did you really think, after that introduction, that I would give up oh so easily?" he asked tauntingly. "You were testing us," Sora stated, realizing it.

Axel nodded, his smirk growing wider. "And you passed. Congratulations, Sora. You're ready now- ready to take on Castle Oblivion," he announced. Sora's expression hardened at that, but Axel continued "You will need to follow your memories. Trust what you remember and seek what you forget. Then you will find someone very special." "Ya mean like Riku and King Mickey?" Goofy asked. Axel chuckled. "I guess you'll have to give more thought to who it is that's... most important to you," he said cryptically. Seeing all of their confused expressions, he said "Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they're out of reach. But I'm sure that you'll find yours, Sora." "Why me?" Sora asked. "You've lost sight of the light within the darkness, and it seems you've forgotten that you've forgot," Axel told him.

At that Sora lowered his Keyblade, thinking. "The light within darkness...?" he repeated. Axel waited patiently, but after a moment of silence he stretched out his hand. "Would you like me to give you... a hint?" he offered. He was met with more silence, and Sora hung his head. Slowly, Goofy walked up next to Sora, and tilted his head to look at his face. "Sora, do you need it?" he asked. Silence once again. After another minute Sora looked up, his expression determined. Axel looked slightly surprised, but then Sora said "I'm going to figure things out for myself." Then he moved back into a fighting stance, and said "If you're in my way..." "Don't worry Sora; we'll protect you!" Donald said, jumping in front of him. Axel laughed and lowered his hand. "Good answer. Just what I'd expect from the Keyblade master," he replied.

But then Axel expression turned serious. "But be forewarned. When your sleeping memories awaken, you may no longer be who you are now..." he warned, before vanishing in a corridor of darkness.

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Having watched everything from the center of the room, Dexal sighed. The process of the memory altercation was going to begin soon. If there was one part about this whole operation that displeased him, it was that. There were few things left that a Nobody actually possessed, and one of them was there memories. Without them, they would be but empty shells.

Well... _emptier_ shells.

And while Dexal felt no personal connection to Sora like his Heartless had, he couldn't help but pity the boy. To have his memories unknowingly changed just so he could become a puppet for the Organization's and- through that- Xehanort's gains... Saddening. Just as soon as that feeling arose in Dexal those, he crushed it mercilessly. He didn't deserve to feel sadness, or anger, or happiness. After all the suffering he had failed to prevent, he deserved _nothing_, not even the memories he still had. At that moment Axel reappeared in the room, and smirked. "So, you saw it all?" he asked, to which Dexal nodded. "Well?" he prompted. Dexal shrugged. "Your attempts at theatrics, while successful and entertaining, could have aroused suspicion," he said. At that Axel raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? How is that?" he asked.

Again, Dexal sighed. "You hinted at the possibility of Sora having another person close to his heart. And now, when Naminé begins the process of putting herself close to him, do you not think he'll be suspicious of his newfound 'memories'?" he asked. Axel frowned, crossing his arms. "Well... there is the chance of that. But as long as he doesn't think that we're the ones responsible for it, he won't any reason to be suspicious. And we have no plans to tell him, right?" he pointed out. Dexal nodded. "Correct, we have no plans to tell him. Even so, I can't shake the feeling that Larxene would tell him. Just to see the shattered expression on his face," he said. At that Axel shuddered. While she wasn't the most powerful in the Organization, everyone, even Dexal, knew to cautious of the Savage Nymph.

"Well, let's hope that Marluxia can keep her in line, huh?" he said, smiling. Dexal nodded, before letting a fake smile cross his features. "And it will be up to us to remove them... if _either_ of them get out of line," he said. Axel chuckled. Playing the double-agent, while hard work, was actually amusing at times. Their conversation finished, they turned their gazes back to the crystal, seeing Sora leave the first floor and take the stairs to the second. "_What will you do now, Sora? Will you perceive the illusions placed in front of you... or will Marluxia and Xemnas's plans ensnare you?_" Dexal thought.

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Again, I'm REALLY sorry for not having updated. Even if it was my computer's fault, I still feel like a douche. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and know that I will not let things get _this_ far again!

And on a side note- Hurray! Sora has beaten Axel (even if he threw the match) and now the true trek through Castle Oblivion will begin! Which world will they enter next? Stay tuned to find out!

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)


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